Ariadne, after Greek, c. 300 BC

Pastel and Carbon Pencil on 18" x 24"archival White Paper,

image 11" square $85.00 Go Here

This is another "veils of color" drawing, done with mostly

Nupastels, vine charcoal, and a carbon pencil. I could do these

drawings/paintings forever.

It is interesting. Many people consider pastels drawings. But,

yesterday, at the end of a class I teach at the Art League School

in Alexandria, Virginia, called "Painterly Pastel", we had a critique

and everyone put their work up on the wall.

I asked the question, "if you were to just walk in here and look at

these for the first time, would you call these "drawings", or,

"paintings". Every one of them said "paintings". And, I think that

is true. It is because of the power of color, even when there

are a lot of lines involved, as in the drawing above. One is drawn

in by the color. Even in a simplistic color scheme such as this.

Thanks for visiting today.

Priscilla

After Greek Athlete, 2nd C. BC

Oil Pastel over fixed charcoal drawing
on Rag Paper, 2" x 3" SOLD
I cannot tell a lie. I did not do this piece
today. But we had a terrible thunder,
rain, wind, hail, tree-branch-falling
storm here last night, and the day was
too full of distractions to get anywhere
near my studio. I felt it was in keeping
with what I posted yesterday as well.
I love this piece, and have actually
had it for years, not being able to part
with it, but I've decided it's time to
let it go. (if any one wants it, that is...)

The technique for this is fun. You do a
dark, hard -charcoal drawing -- you could
also use Conte or black Prismacolor
I imagine. Then you have to spray the
heck out of it. Next, you take a less
expensive brand of oil pastel like Shiva
or Prang, and go over that with a solid coat
of white, which will be transluscent. You
will be able to see your drawing through the
layer of white.

Next, you work into the white layer with other
colored oil pastels, either the less expensive
ones, or maybe Holbeins, or Winsor -Newtons; but don't
use Senneliers, because, as I said in a previous post,
they are an exceptionally luxurious product, literally
like lipstick, and would probably end up covering up
your drawing. The idea here is to work with
transparency and transluscency - to keep your
drawing partially visible, in other words.